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June 19, 2011

G71: Red Sox 12, Brewers 3

Tim Wakefield (8-3-3-1-6, 98) won his 183th game as a member of the Red Sox. He now needs only 10 more victories to become the franchise's all-time leader in wins.

The first six Boston batters of the game reached base and scored against Gallardo (3-9-8-2-4, 93), which gave Wakefield more than enough run support. All nine players in the starting lineup had at least one hit and eight of them scored at least one run.

Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia singled to start the bottom of the first, and they advanced to third and second, respectively, on a wild pitch. Two pitches later, Gallardo muffed Prince Fielder's toss to first base on Adrian Gonzalez's grounder, and Ellsbury scored. Perhaps bothered by his misfortune, Gallardo hung a 2-1 curve to Kevin Youkilis and the Sultan of Sweat clubbed it into the Monster Seats. David Ortiz singled, J.D. Drew singled, and (two outs later) Josh Reddick walked. Ellsbury won an eight-pitch at-bat with a ground rule double to right field, scoring two more runs.

Pedroia homered in the fourth and Gonzalez followed with a triple into the triangle (career hit #1,000), and later scored on Ortiz's FC. Reddick doubled in the fifth and scored on Pedroia's sac fly. Marco Scutaro hit a two-run dong in the sixth. Pedroia doubled and Gonzalez singled him home in the seventh.

Carl Crawford hopes he can return to the Red Sox's lineup in time to play in Houston (July 1-3), his hometown.

Definitely wouldn't want to miss that series. It'll be cutting it close, that's for sure. ... A hamstring injury, you don't want to mess around with that. You see a lot of guys try to come back too early and they mess it up and end up being out even longer. We just want to make sure when I come back, I stay there.

Utility infielder. That's part of the Legend of Tim Wakefield: he came up as an infielder; couldn't cut it; and reinvented himself as a knuckleballer.

Has anyone read the memoir he did with Massarotti? I'd forgotten they had written it. Article about the book says he was drafted as a first baseman by Pittsburgh, but I'm sure they tried him out at different INF positions.

Wow, what a great start. I ran a few errands and didn't get to the radio until it was 4-0 and LBJ was at bat again in the first. I've been on the phone with my daughter (but watching) since getting home.

Umps are not impartial. OK, given that, why would anyone (Scutaro) EVER argue a strike call DURING an at bat? That strike 3 call was clearly retribution for his arguing the strike 2 call which was actually in the strike zone.

My previous cat was a female named Mo, as in Vaughn. I was contemplating Dewey now, but she just doesn't look like a Dewey. She came with the name Heidi, but there's no way I was keeping that! Tessie seems to fit.